Folding chair



` Jams, 1929.

F. E. SCHULTE FOLDING CHAIR Filed March l2 .1928

M- ZIM am ma PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK E. SCHULTE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND. A

FOLDING CHAIR.

j Application filed March 12, 1928. Serial No. 260,980.

Thisinvention relatesto folding chairs, and more particularly to those adapted for porches, parks, boats, automobiles, etc.

Among the objects of this invention is the provision of a folding chair that may be readily collapsed in a substantially flattened condition by a minimum of operations. A further-object of this invention is the provision of a folding chair wherein theV seat of the chair may be eitherv collapsed from the position for seating or brought into the seat* ing position from the collapsed state by a single movement and whereby only one movement isv necessary to bring the back of the chair from the position of use to a collapsed state or from the latter state tol the position` for use.

Other, further and more specific obiects of this invention will become readily appar-A ent to persons skilled in" the art from a consideration of 'the'following description when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the frame work of thechain Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the chair in collapsed state. l

Fig. 3 is a fragmental sectional View of a portion of the frame work supporting the seat of the chair.

My device comprises a pair of cross legs land 2 intersecting at 3 and the pair of cross legs 4 and 5 intersecting at 6. A cross bar 7 passes through vthe 4legs. 1 and 2 at 3 and through the legs 4 and 5 at' 6, and affords pivots about which these legs may be swung.

Cross rods;8 and 9 also connect the bars 1 and 4 while the cross bars 10 and 11 connect the bars 2 and 5. The frame worl for the seat comprises the bars 12 and 13 pivoted upon the cross bar 10 and extending into the channels 14and 15, respectively, to which they are hinged. These channels are at their other ends pivoted upon the cross rod 8. The seat comprises 2 portions, the portion 16 resting upon bars 12 and 13, while the portion 17 rests upon the channels 14 and 15.

An important feature of my device resides in the limitation of movement of the frame work of the chair. As will be seen more readily by reference to Fig. 3, the bar 12v whichalsopasses through sides of the channel 14 thus vforming.ahinged relationship between the bar 12 and channel 14. The, downward movement of the bar and channel may bearrested either bythe engagement of the tongue 18 with the roof of the channel 14, or when the edge 20 of the roof of the channel abuts the shoulder `21 of the bar 12. As a means of arresting the downward movement of vthe seat I prefer, however, to

have the edge 2O of the roof of the channel strike the shoulder 21 of the bar 12 at the same timejthat the roof of the channel touches the tongue 18, beca-use this .givesa from each other while the channels and bars are in the position for seatingwill operate to changethese members yfrom the flexed position to that of straight alignment unless thisY pressure is counteracted by downward pressure upon the channels or bars. This pressure upon the cross legs may be downward Vpressure applied atvarious parts of the legs or pressuretransmitted from the arms 23 of. the chair back bearing against stops 25 extending frornthe rod 8. Noia mally,th'e weight of a person occupying the y chair and bearing upon the bars and channels isrsucient to counteract any tendency to change from the flexed position to straight alignment.

The legs 1 and 4 are perforated near the upper ends, which perforations receive` the pins 22, and journaled upon these pins are the arms 23 which form the frame work for the back 24 of the chair. This seat back may be swung forward and over the seat and its rear movement is arrested by the stops 25, which maybe conveniently made byy slightly extending rod 8 beyond the legs 1 and 4.

The frame work for the chair comprising the cross legs, the hinged channels and bars, the cross rods, and the arms supporting the back of the chair are preferably made of lau met-al, while the seat portions 16 and 17 and the back 24 are preferably'of wood and are joined to the Vmetal structure by screws or other suitable fastening means. The pins serving as pivots and the cross rods, some of which also serve as pivots, are preferably upset at the ends to provide rivets for securing same to the rest of the structure. I also Y prefer to bend the lower portion of the cross legs to provide the feet 26 for the chair.

In operation, the chair may be brought from the seating position to the collapsed state by two simple operations, namely, swinging of the back over the seat and until its movement is arrested by the lower front cross legs, and moving the hinged seat upwardly to the complete folded position shown in Fig. 2. To bring the chair back to the seating position from this state it is merely necessary to reverse each of these two operations. It will thus be seen thatI with my new construction, the chair may be folded or unfolded by a minimum ofoperations requiring no skill of adjustment or operation.

The present invention` is not limited to the specific details set forth in the foregoing examples which should be construed as illustrative and not by way of limitation, and in view of the numerous modifications which may be effected therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention it is desired that only such limitations be imposed as are indicated in the app-ended claims. l

I claim as my invention':

1. A folding chair having on each side thereof a frame comprising four adjacent arms in quadrangular arrangement pivotally connected to each other, two of the armsof each frame intersecting near their middle and forming cross legs for the chair, Vthe other two arms forming a support for the chair scat and consisting of a link channel and a link bar, said bar having one end reduced and projecting into the channel to form a tongue and groove hinge with said channel and with a pin passing through the channel and through the reduced port-ion of the bar, said arms .of the frame being adapted to fold from the seating, position to a complete collapsed state by the movement of the hinged portions of the bars and channels upward and above the cross legs and adapted to unfold to a seating position by the movement of the hinged portions ofy `the channels and bars downward toward the thereof Va frame comprising four adjacent arms in quardrangular arrangement pivotally connected to eachother, two of the arms and forming cross legs for the chair and having feet at the free end, the other two arms forming a support for the'chair seat and consisting of a link channel and a'link bar, said bar having one end reduced and projecting into the channel to form a tongue and groove hinge with said channel and with a pin passing through the channel and through the reduced portion of the bar, said from the seating position to a complete collapsed state by the movement of the hinged portions of the bars and channels upward and above the cross legs and adapted to unfold to a seating position by the movement of thehinged portions of the channels and bars downward toward the cross legs, com-v pound means for defining the seating position of said chair and for arresting the downward movement of the channel and bar, said means comprising a shoulder on the bar at the base of the projecting tongue adapted to contact with the end face of the channel at the same time as the top of the channel engages the projecting tongue and an upper and a lower projecting pin extending outwardly from each cross leg near the rear top portion thereof, each of said lower pins affording a pivot for a pair of arms comprising the frame work of the back of the chair and each upper pin forming a stop for arresting the rearward movement of the back of the seat, said seat back being adapted to swing forward and over the seat'until its movement is arrested by contact with the lower portion of the legs of the chair.

enV

a of each frame intersecting near their middle 'arms of the frame being adapted to fold i In testimony whereof I affix my signature, 

